SYTYCD | top 8

SO EXCITED that Ellen DeGeneres is guest judging this week! Obviously she is not a trained dancer, but she clearly loves dance and admires what these young dancers are capable of. Can't wait to hear what she has to say. Let's get started!

Top 8 | "Let It Rock"
Love that Travis is back... hate the stupid illuminated costumes. Just too distracting and hard to focus on the dance! Overall it was a'ight... but not great. I prefer Travis as a true contemporary choreographer. Meh.

Evan and Janette | Jazz | "Move"
I always love the interaction Sonya builds into her routines. She was born to choreograph duets, I think. This piece was really entertaining and smooth; Evan and Janette go well together and I thought their moves were incredibly in sync — and those lifts, whoa! I also agree with Nigel that Evan has really stepped it up.

Brandon and Jeanine | Waltz | "May It Be"
I think I'd go so far as to say these two are my SYTYCD power couple. Two of my favorites, hands down. I wish they had gotten a more exciting dance (sorry, Waltz) but it was undoubtedly beautiful. Nothing groundbreaking, though, and SUCH a slow song. I really hope it doesn't jeopardize their chances at making it to the top 6 now that the competition is getting so tight.

Ade and Melissa | ChaCha | "Yeah"
Nice to see these two back together, but I'm feeling like they're the weakest links currently. This number just looked like two non-ChaCha dancers doing the ChaCha. Melissa looked out of place and Ade looked uninterested. Not sure what routine Nigel was watching, but I was bored. I'll be surprised if these two aren't in the bottom tomorrow night.

Jason and Kayla | Broadway | "Mr. Monotony"
This number was most definitely very "Broadway"... I thought they both rocked it and had a good partnership. Kayla's lines, as Nigel said, really stand out and Jason did well with this style. I agree with Mia that Kayla would be amazing on Broadway (if she can, indeed, sing). She just has that presence to her.

Janette and Evan | Rumba | "Heartless"
I love Evan and I'm not afraid to admit it (even though his costume was ridiculous). And damn, Janette looks gorgeous! They faltered a tiny bit at the beginning and it seemed like another really slow number, but I thought they had a decent connection and their movements were really fluid. I'm not seeing a lot of votes coming in for this one, though.

Jeanine and Brandon | Hip Hop | "Battlefield"
Wow, Laurianne Gibson? Never thought I'd see her choreographing in this competition. (And are the headphones necessary? And the tears? She bugs me. Blame it on watching too many seasons of Making the Band. Bah.) Anywho... hate this song but feel like Jeanine and Brandon pulled it off well, minus a few little iffy spots with weird timing. I wish they interacted more on stage, but that's more the choreography than them. Surprised that Nigel LOVES it, and Mary gave it a scream, but glad that it will hopefully bring them votes.

Melissa and Ade | Contemporary | "This Woman's Work"
These two seriously lucked out with this number. It was beautiful and emotional, and was a VAST improvement over their last number. Ade's strength paired with Melissa's movements were beautiful. I got a little teary when Melissa got all teary at the end and then the judges all just pretty much lost it and I got REALLY teary. It was truly beautiful and it might have just saved these two dancers.

Kayla and Jason | Hip Hop | "They're Everywhere"
Niiiiice Thriller-esque costumes :-) I am a big fan of Shane Sparks and I think this was a cool number. Definitely hard to get all light-hearted and hip-hoppy after Tyce's emotional number, but it was well-choreographed and well-performed.

S O L O S

Kayla | "The Moment I Said"
Glad she has slightly tamed her solo this week, compared to the last few erratic weeks. I really liked the style of this number and that gorgeous costume. There is no doubting that she's a natural.

Jason | "Slowdance on the Inside"
Jason's solos don't impress me as anything beautifully choreographed — they seem like just a combination of jumps and turns. He's certainly a great dancer, but the solo wasn't spectacular.

Janette | "Seduces Me"
I think she took a huge risk straying from her own style for her solo. People obviously like her Latin dancing... why do contemporary? This was okay, but she definitely didn't make the best use of the 30 seconds. Mia really thinks Janette is her favorite? Hmm.

Ade | "Hater"
Definitely a better solo than his ChaCha with Melissa. But I'm still just not excited by him anymore.

Melissa | "Heads Will Roll"
Could have been a really cool number with that song, but I felt like she missed the opportunity.

Evan | "Old Devil Moon"
I absolutely adore when he dances in his own style. He has such charisma in his little suspenders and tie and hat. A true old soul. I like that.

Jeanine | "Let the Drummer Kick"
We all know I am in love with Jeanine's solos. This one was no exception. She is absolutely spectacular when given the opportunity to shine on her own. Hoping that secured her spot in the top 6.

Brandon | "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That"
He. Is. So. Good. I love his spunk and how well he uses those short 30 seconds.

- - - - - - -

Who I am voting for:
Jeanine, Evan, Brandon, Kayla

Who I think should go home:
Melissa and Ade (I think they did great with Tyce's number, but overall I still think they're consistently the weakest dancers of the group)

Ellen proved to be kiiiiiiind of useless, but a source of humor, nonetheless. Overall this was probably one of the weaker shows of the season, so I hope that means that next week will make up for it! Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow night on the 100th episode!